Good Colors for Coaching Websites – Trust, Optimism, Positivity
Want the best colors for your coaching website? Need a good color scheme for your business? Want the right colors to build connection and trust with visitors?
Great! I’ve pulled together the main colors and associated feelings for various coaching niches to help you choose quickly.
Why colors matter — What I’ve learned from 20+ years of designing websites.
The harder your website is to use, read, or look at, the lower the trust, and the faster people click away. On the flip side, the easier, more enjoyable, and more appealling a website its, the more people will stick around. Everything impacts this experience — headings, menus, links, spacing, images, buttons, and all — including colors.
For the majority of ugly coaching websites, the colors don’t work because a template was chosen that didn’t work with the other visual elements — the logo, the photo of the coach, the images used, the content, and the voice of the coach.
I highly recommend thinking about your brand, your message, and visuals direction before building. I often help coaches with brand clarity.
When the visuals are off, you can sense it. Something feels off. If you don’t feel your website looks good, you’ll hesitate to share it, which will hurt your attempts to reach clients.
And since sorting out your colors isn’t hard to do, you might as well put some smarts into it. Here’s a fun diagram of the variety of colors that are possible …
The Best Colors for Your Coaching Business Niche
Certain niches have certain colors because the pairings feel right. For example, warm reds are used for relationship coaches, and trusting blues are used for business coaches.
To see colors NOT WORKING, consider a website for a health coach filled with black, grey, and brown. It won’t feel energetic, vibrant, healthy, and alive.
Also, imagine a bright, rainbow-colored website for a retirement coach who helps boomer seniors find stable financial planning. It would feel too playful and immature.
You can break away from typical color use but do so with care.
Research, Experience, and Marketers on Color
I’ve read quite a few user-experience and marketing books in my 20+ years a web designer. The notion that people make decisions based on emotions and justify them with logic is quoted over and over in all sorts of marketing books.
Here’s Google’s list of research on color. Years ago, I read in a health book that when greens and blues enter our eyes (like when hiking), there’s a physiologically healthy response.
When I hear about things that impact us from multiple fields of study, I take it to heart, even if I don’t have any A-B split tests. I trust the wise folks who do work and run their own tests.
From experience, well-chosen colors bring a website to life.
In this post, 8 categories to find good colors for your coaching website and business brand.
Here’s a list of colors:
- Orange for energy and enthusiasm
- Yellow for optimism and happiness
- Green for growth and balance
- Blue for trust and stability
- Purple for wisdom and spirituality
- Red for passion and power
- White for simplicity and positivity
- Black for power and strength
At the end, there are a few examples of websites and colors on coaching websites and how they support the brand and message.
AND! I’d love to hear from you in the comments. Which colors do you like most? Which ones feel right for your brand?
1. Orange for Energy and Enthusiasm
Orange relates to these feelings, concepts, and words:
- energy, enthusiasm, attention, happiness, optimism
- fascination, creativity, determination, attraction, success, encouragement
- stimulation, heat, vitality, friendliness, vigor, youth
- red-orange — desire, passion, pleasure, aggression, action
- gold-orange — prestige, illumination, wisdom, wealth, high-quality
Coaching Niches with Orange
Career Coaches
Orange is often associated with enthusiasm and creativity, making it a great choice for career coaches who want to convey a sense of motivation and innovation as they help clients navigate career transitions or advancement.
Entrepreneurship Coaches
Orange can symbolize creativity, energy, and a sense of adventure, appealing to coaches who work with entrepreneurs looking to build dynamic and innovative businesses.
Motivational Coaches
Orange is an energetic and uplifting color that can inspire enthusiasm and excitement, aligning well with coaches who focus on motivating clients to reach their goals.
Youth Coaches
Coaches who work with young people might use orange to convey fun, energy, and a sense of playfulness, making their services more appealing to a younger audience.
Creative Coaches
For coaches who work with artists, designers, or other creative professionals, orange can represent creativity and originality, reflecting the vibrant and dynamic nature of their work.
2. Yellow for Optimism and Happiness
Yellow relates to these feelings, concepts, and words:
- laughter, hope, sunshine, energy, optimism, cheerfulness, joy
- joy, happiness, intellect, warmth, cheerfulness, mental activity
- leisure, lightheartedness, children, spontaneous, freshness
Coaching Niches
Life Coaches
Yellow represents optimism and positivity, making it ideal for coaches who focus on personal development and helping clients embrace new perspectives.
Creativity Coaches
Yellow is associated with creativity and inspiration, appealing to coaches who work with artists and creative professionals seeking innovation.
Leadership Coaches
Yellow symbolizes clarity and intellect, making it suitable for coaches who guide leaders to make insightful decisions.
Motivational Coaches
Yellow’s energetic vibe can inspire and motivate, aligning with coaches who energize and uplift their clients.
Youth Coaches
Yellow conveys fun and enthusiasm, making it attractive for coaches working with children or young adults.
In addition to choosing the best colors for your coaching business website, make the structure, content, and calls-to-action encourage visitors to reach out to you. I wrote about this in The Coaching Website Guide. Have a look.
3. Green for Growth and Balance
Green relates to these feelings, concepts, and words:
- health, new beginnings, wealth
- ease, relax, create balance, growth, security, possibility, spring
- calm, anticipation, hope, soothing, relaxed, diet, control anxiety
- stability, endurance, discipline, harmony
- nature, freshness, fertility, safety, healing power, restful eye
- hope, positivity
Coaching Niches
Health and Wellness Coaches
Green symbolizes health and vitality, aligning with coaches and promoting a balanced and healthy lifestyle.
Environmental Coaches
Green is associated with nature and sustainability, making it a natural choice for coaches focused on environmental awareness and sustainable living.
Financial Coaches
Green is linked to growth and prosperity, appealing to coaches who help clients achieve financial success and wealth management.
Life Coaches
Green represents growth and renewal, ideal for coaches guiding personal development and transformation.
Career Coaches
Green conveys growth and progress, which is suitable for coaches helping clients advance in their careers.
4. Blue for Trust and Stability
Blue relates to these feelings, concepts, and words:
- Conservative, traditional, calmness, relaxation, stability, reliability
- natural blues — water, sea voyages, consciousness, intellect
- business blues — masculinity, corporations, high-tech
- calm blues — relaxation, understanding, and softness
- strong blues — knowledge, power, integrity, seriousness, expertise
Coaching Niches That Use Blue
Life Coach: Uses blue to convey calmness and trust, creating a serene environment for personal growth and self-discovery.
Executive Coach: Blue represents professionalism and stability, fostering confidence in leadership and strategic decision-making.
Career Coach: Blue symbolizes clarity and focus, helping clients navigate career transitions and set clear professional goals.
Health Coach: Incorporates blue to evoke tranquility and balance, promoting mental and physical well-being in a supportive, calming space.
Financial Coach: Uses blue to suggest reliability and security, assisting clients in managing finances with confidence and trust.
Relationship Coach: Chooses blue for its calming effect, aiding in communication and understanding within personal and professional relationships.
Creative Coach: Employs blue to inspire creativity and innovation while providing a stable foundation for artistic exploration and personal expression.
5. Purple for Wisdom and Spirituality
Purple relates to these feelings, concepts, and words:
- creativity, royalty, wealth, soothe, calm, beauty
- luxurious, wealthy, power, nobility, luxury, extravagance, dignity
- ambition, wisdom, independence
- mystery, and magic, pre-adolescent children
- light purple for romantic and nostalgic feelings, feminine, romance, mystery
- bright purple for children, youth
Coaching Niches Using Purple
Spiritual Coach: Uses purple to evoke a sense of spirituality and enlightenment, guiding clients toward deeper self-awareness and connection.
Creative Coach: Chooses purple for its association with imagination and originality, inspiring innovative thinking and artistic expression.
Leadership Coach: Purple signifies authority and vision, helping leaders develop their unique style and strategic influence.
Personal Development Coach: Incorporates purple to represent transformation and growth, encouraging clients to explore their potential and embrace change.
Entrepreneurial Coach: Uses purple to convey ambition and creativity, motivating clients to build visionary businesses and pursue bold goals.
6. Red for Passion and Power
Red relates to these feelings, concepts, and words:
- fire, blood, energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination
- passion, desire, love, emotionally intense
- light red for joy, sexuality, sensitivity, and love
- pinkish reds for romance, love, friendship, feminine qualities, and passiveness
- dark red for vigor, willpower, leadership, courage
Coaching Niches with Red
Motivational Coaches
Red is a vibrant, energizing color that conveys passion and excitement, making it ideal for coaches who focus on inspiring and energizing their clients to achieve their goals.
Sports and Fitness Coaches
Red is associated with strength, power, and intensity, which makes it a great choice for coaches who work in the competitive and dynamic world of sports and fitness.
Sales and Performance Coaches
Red can symbolize urgency and action, making it appealing for coaches who help clients improve their sales skills or performance in high-pressure environments.
Entrepreneurship and Business Coaches
Coaches working with entrepreneurs may use red to signify boldness, confidence, and a pioneering spirit, encouraging clients to take risks and innovate.
Relationship and Dating Coaches
Red is often linked to love and passion, making it a suitable choice for coaches who help clients navigate relationships and build romantic connections.
7. White for Simplicity and Positivity
Using white in marketing materials can help these coaches project an image of purity, simplicity, and focus, aligning with their brand values and the transformative experiences they offer their clients.
White relates to these feelings, concepts, and words:
- light, goodness, innocence, purity, virginity, perfection
- safety, purity, cleanliness, positivity, faith, purity, coolness, cleanliness
- simplicity, high-tech products, charitable organizations, angels
- hospitals, doctors, sterility, medical, low-fat food, and dairy products
Health and Wellness Coaches
White conveys cleanliness and freshness, which aligns with promoting a healthy lifestyle and well-being.
Life Coaches
The color white can represent clarity and new beginnings, making it appealing for life coaches who focus on helping clients start fresh or gain new perspectives.
Mindfulness and Meditation Coaches
White evokes calmness and tranquility, which is suitable for coaches guiding clients toward inner peace and mindfulness.
Holistic and Spiritual Coaches
White symbolizes purity and enlightenment, resonating with coaches focusing on spiritual growth and holistic healing practices.
Organizational and Productivity Coaches
White suggests simplicity and order, which can attract clients looking to declutter and streamline their lives or work environments.
8. Black for Power and Strength
Black represents and evokes the following feelings:
- Authority, elegance, formality, intelligence, power, prestige, sophistication
Coaching Niches with Black
Executive Coach: Uses black to signify professionalism and sophistication, enhancing executive presence and leadership skills.
Career Coach: Chooses black for its association with authority and seriousness, helping clients navigate high-stakes career decisions with confidence.
Strategic Coach: Black represents clarity and focus, aiding clients in developing strategic plans and achieving complex goals.
Business Coach: Incorporates black to convey strength and reliability, supporting clients in building and scaling their businesses effectively.
Performance Coach: Uses black to symbolize determination and intensity, motivating clients to push their limits and achieve peak performance.
Coaches with a power or control vibe common with The Ruler brand archetype can make great use of black.
Examples of colors on coaching websites
We chose the sage coaching brand archetype in a recent website design for a career coach in the UK, Marianne Welsh. It’s primarily grey/beige/gold with dashes of red to add a feeling of passion and energy.
Here are her home and blog pages:
Website Example: Renewed Energy in Life
On Lisa’s website, freshstart2life.com, her clients seek a new exciting next adventure.
We found this great image of a woman facing a new day and a sunrise. We chose to use bold, electric yellow, and blue in it.
The rich dark blue, with a flowing energy of shades (gradients), complements the yellow for even more pow. Opposite colors are naturally pleasing to the eye.
I wrote a lot about visuals, images, color, and fonts in The Coaching Website Guide. So, if you’re planning a new site, working on, tweaking, or revamping one, get a copy to make it stunning.
Optimism and Hope for Susan’s ADHD Parent Coaching Website
Optimism and growth are two great words for parents and teachers of ADHD children. It can be difficult to handle children with special needs. Her clients need hope, and Susan Hughes, an ADHD parent coach, is the coach to deliver it.
Enthusiasm, Optimism, and Hope.
Susan’s logo (ADHD Parent Coach in Perth), has a zesty green and orange circle graphic. I used imagery and colors to match the logo and create a fun, positive vibe.
That image of kids and parents is perfect. I tweaked the colors in Photoshop and extracted the right words to speak to frustrated parents desperately needing help.
I’m proud of how this one turned out.
Which colors do you like? Tell me below.
I love hearing from coaches in the heat of growing their businesses.
Tell me what colors you’ve chosen or are thinking about below.
Smartly chosen colors on your coaching websites will emanate those positive vibes that clients love.
So, think about your color scheme, visual elements, and tone of voice — and align those with how you want people to feel on your website.
Ever experimented with color schemes for your website? What colors are you most drawn to, and what feelings do they stir up?
I’d love to hear your comments.
Hi I’m trying to figure out my 3 best colors to do for my website. I’m an upcoming author, speaker and Transformational Life Coach. I was thinking yellow, bright orange and fog grey. What do you think? And what do you suggest? I’m a lighter shade of brown skin mixed lady. Website not done yet
One way to do it is get a great photo of you for the homepage, then seek colors within that image.
Often your outfit will refelct colors that look good with your complection — and then consider the feeling you want your site to give off.
3 colors? That can be very hard. How about one main one, use it often, and maybe 1 or 2 other color touches here and there?
Thank you for this, I am a chef that is moving in the space of health coach. I created a weight loss program and incorporated turquoise and orange with pops of purple (in the actual ebook) and am thinking about repurposing those colors for my coaching website. Not sure….
Thank you Kenn, very interesting!
You’re welcome Sara. Got your domain name yet? Or still figure it out?
I found this super interesting, thank you.
So what colours would you use for a company providing services in coaching, mentoring and thetahealing (meditational practice) with the niche for coaching and mentoring: women in tech
Thanks Edina.
Who is the most ideal/best/desired client if you had to pick one?
Their goals, outcomes, dreams, needs?
I’m also curious about the brand archetype that could/would suit.
See this post on brand archetypes for coaches.
YES! This is my greatest chore when establishing a website for my business. It’s often the first IMPRESSION of your business, you, and feelings you emit to potential clients.
I am a energetic, funny, creative minded person. I’m struggling with the application of colors and tone of my website because I want to “niche: in on men who are tired of themselves 😳😱.
I like challenges lol.
Anyway I need to create a professional, exciting and distinctive design and my favorite colors are blues, greens and purple… deep – contrasting pale.
I like the calm, soothing and pop of these colors.
I used bright blues and greens for my last pettaxi business website. I feel like it was welcoming, friendly cheerful.
Yes, energetic, fun vibe!
Thinking about those men is a good move.
Got a site address/draft? Feel free to post it, even if it’s in the works.
Kenn,
Like you I like black clothes, wear too, a lot of while and blue.
Bright colours can make people feel good, just the same as a sunny day, make you feel alive, cheerful and more
motivated in getting things done and enjoying the day.
Colour needs to blend into the website, pages and can make people wish to continue reading.
A very interesting read about colour and what they represent. This will interest many people.
Wow, Kenn for this beautiful article. This is really great & informative. Colors make life cheerful. The concept of colors is really great & impressive. Thanks for the concept.
It is a fact that colors stand for certain ideas and elicit definite emotions. One should use this to its fullest advantage.
Kenn, I recently (just last month) relaunched my website. It went from a bright green to a dark blue. One of the very first comments I received from a colleague was “Much more professional!”
I can see from your list that I’ve hit the exact target I was aiming for! I’ll probably print this list out as it’s good for product covers too. 🙂
Kenn,
I am running an ad on New York Craigslist for artists to exhibit their art at my gallery under community/artists and since I filled the background with a solid fully saturated color my response results have been incredible. Prior to doing this my response rate was maybe 1 for the entire running of ad.